A Quickie With Erin Kelly

Six years ago, actor Erin Kellywas sitting in the audience at a play, minding her own business, when filmmakerKatherine Brooks walked up to her and said, “Please tell me you’re anactress.”

Luckily for Brooks, the answer was“yes.” Four years later, Kelly was starring in her first feature film,playing a self-possessed and passionate Catholic schoolgirl in love with a female teachertwice her age in Brooks’ smoldering tale of taboo attraction, Loving Annabelle.

Kelly sat down with AfterEllen.comrecently to talk about meeting and forming a lasting friendship with Brooks, theunsexiness of shooting sex scenes, and what she loves about her lesbian fanbase.

AfterEllen.com:Katherine Brooks said you’re her muse. How much does being a muse pay thesedays?Erin Kelly: [laughs] Not nearly enough.

AE: In Waking Madison,your third project with Katherine, you play a character named Grace.Who is Grace?EK: Grace is one of the patients Madisonmeets at a mental institution. And Grace is there because she’s a sex addictand a drug addict; she has an addictive personality.

AE: Sounds like Gracehas some issues. Does she indulge her addictions with anyone on the ward?EK: [She] seduces orderlies, but none of the other patients.

AE: Does Graceconnect with the patients in other ways?EK: Yeah, all of the girls. In the story, there’s a community room where weall connect and [develop] relationships with each other. There’s the bully, Margaret,played by Taryn Manning, and Imogen Poots as Alexis, the wounded girl who’s tormentedby Margaret. And I’m the character between the two of them.

AE: You wereoriginally going to play the wounded one, Alexis.EK: Right. I was. But I ended up playing Grace, which, in the end, workedout. I thought the role of Grace was much more interesting for me, as an actor.

Erin Kelly as Grace inWaking Madison

AE: Your role was switched because,according to Katherine, you’re so good at playing a “focused, promiscuousseducer.” Do you agree?EK: [sarcastically] Oh, no. I’ve never had any experience in that area. [laughs] No, it’s all just pullingfrom my imagination.